The Wall Blocking Our Path

“It’s too dark. 【Light】”

A short way down the stairs, Felipe held up his right palm, and a fist-sized sphere of light sprang forth.

The sphere hovered above the three of them, illuminating the stairs that led further underground.

Then.

“Waaaah…!”

What appeared was a pit as deep as could be—perhaps with a diameter equal to the Mage Tower’s—and an endless spiral staircase descending along its outer wall.

Jonah, seeing it, couldn’t help but let out a sound of awe.

“…I never imagined there would be something like this beneath the Mage Tower.”

“Indeed, it’s astonishing. But this only heightens our expectations for the ancient magic.”

Contrasting with Felipe’s furrowed brow, Tommaso’s chest swelled with anticipation and his eyes shone.

One thing the two of them—no, all three, Jonah included—agreed on was that something lay below.

“I wonder how far this goes…”

More than an hour had already passed since they began descending the underground stairs, Jonah murmured.

Pearls of sweat stood out on Jonah’s forehead; he clearly looked exhausted.

No wonder. His real body was so broken he couldn’t move properly, and for now he was only being manipulated by 【Marionette】.

That magic had to be kept active constantly and demanded extremely precise control. For an ordinary person it might not be much, but even this much placed a heavy burden on Jonah.

On his body, and on his mind.

Then.

“Wah!”

“Now then, let’s go.”

Noticing Jonah’s condition, Tommaso half-forcibly hoisted him onto his back.

“I-I’m fine! I can still…”

“Shut up and be carried.”

Jonah, not wanting to be a burden, tried to get down, but Felipe brusquely stopped him with a terse command.

There was an undeniable pressure to his words that allowed no argument.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for? This is better—it saves us time.”

Felipe said this to Jonah, who bowed his head in apology.

“Nuhoho, still terrible at making excuses, aren’t you?”

“Hmph, shut up.”

Teased by Tommaso, Felipe snorted and turned his face away.

It seemed this was his own way of looking out for Jonah, and viewed that way, the man might not be so bad after all.

They continued on for another two hours.

“This is…”

As if to block their path, a gigantic stone wall had appeared on the stairs.

Ancient characters were carved into the edge of the wall.

“Jonah, what does this say?”

“Yes. Um… it says, ‘I grant you three trials. When you overcome them all, an answer shall be given.’”

“Hmm, ‘three trials’…”

Felipe pressed a hand to his mouth and let out a slight groan.

Of course he didn’t think they could proceed easily; seeing the ‘three trials’ written in ancient script, there was no doubt they would involve danger.

More than that, unlike Jonah and Tommaso, Felipe had no personal reason to go further. Considering his position as the Mage Tower’s overseer, turning back here would be a reasonable option.

However.

“Of course we’re going, right?”

“Yes!”

“Nuhoho, no need to ask.”

To Felipe’s question, Jonah and Tommaso nodded firmly.

Regardless of the two driven by purpose, was Felipe truly content with this? Or did he have his own reasons for facing the ‘three trials’?

Either way.

“It seems we must place our hands on the magic circle carved into this wall.”

“I see.”

Receiving Jonah’s words, Felipe touched the magic circle without hesitation. Jonah and Tommaso followed suit.

At that moment.

“…!?”

Jonah’s vision filled with scenes from his short eleven years of life like a revolving lantern… but, oddly, they played out in reverse.

And then.

‘This place… could it be the Langheim household…?’

What appeared was the garden of his childhood home, the very place he had thought he’d left behind.

The view he had watched from the window beside his bed since he was old enough to remember lay before him.

“My Lady, please don’t overexert yourself…”

“Ufufu, I’m feeling very well today. And look, this little one is rejoicing, too.”

Ignoring her worried maid, the beautiful dark-haired woman smiled gently and stroked her noticeably enlarged belly as if cherishing it.

She was the woman Jonah had leaned on in the Langheim household.

――Jonah’s mother, Marta Cornelia Langheim.

‘Mother…!’

Jonah squeezed out a voiceless cry and took step after step toward Marta.

‘Mother! MOTHER!!!’

Tears welled in his onyx eyes as Jonah cried out, pouring all his long-held feelings into his voice.

He wanted her to notice him, to know he was here.

He wanted her to praise him for how hard he’d tried all this time.

But.

“Marta, this is becoming a strain on your body. Go inside the manor.”

“Darling… yes.”

The newly appeared Duke Langheim drew Marta close by the shoulder, and the two of them, side by side and affectionate, entered the manor.

They left Jonah alone, still shedding large tears as he called out for his mother.